Ex-Lib leader David Speirs faces electoral oblivion as margin cut in boundary shake-up

You thought you were having a bad week, spare a thought for ex-Lib leader David Speirs. First he lost the Liberal leadership, now he’s faced with losing even more.

Former Liberal leader David Speirs will see the margin in his southern suburbs seat of Black cut to a meagre 1 per cent if the recommendations of the latest Electoral District Boundaries Commission are adopted later this year.

The Commission has also proposed reuniting the regional hub of Port Augusta into one seat, placing it entirely in Giles, which also includes Whyalla.

Overall, the Commission said it had changed boundaries in 21 of the state’s 47 electorates, affecting 44,747 voters, with most of the adjustments minor.

“The Commission notes, given the 2020 electoral redistribution and the outcome of the 2022 election, it is possible to achieve minimal disruption in this electoral redistribution,’’ the Commission notes in its draft report.

Ex-Lib leader David Speirs will see the margin in his southern suburbs seat of Black cut to a meagre 1 per cent if the recommendations of the latest Electoral District Boundaries Commission are adopted later this year. Picture: Keryn Stevens

The Commission said the Liberals, based on the draft report, would need a swing of 5.1 per cent to win the 2026 election with 24 seats.

Labor currently holds 27 seats in the lower house, with the Liberals on 14 and six independents.

In its submission to the Commission, the Liberal Party had argued for more substantial change in some marginal seats, while the Labor Party had argued for more minimal adjustments.

Liberal state director Alex May said the party would “consider the draft over the coming weeks and respond to proposed boundary changes as part of our next written submission’’.

Labor state director Aemon Burke said they would “spend the next few days considering the report’’.

The Commission said it would finalise its report by the end of the year.

Mr Speirs seat of Black will lose South Brighton and part of Somerton Park, but gain the heavy Labor area of Old Reynella. The changes cut his margin from 3.8 per cent to 1 per cent, making it the equal second most marginal seat in SA, matching Dunstan and trailing the regional seat of Stuart, which sits at 0.5 per cent.

Mr Speirs who quit the Liberal leadership last week did not respond to a request for comment.

Secretary to the Commission David Gully said “declining populations in regional districts’’ had posed a challenge.

To ensure ‘one vote, one value’, the Commission can allow no more than a 10 per cent variation on the quota of 27,423 voters assigned to each seat. Premier Peter Malinauskas’ seat of Croydon is over the quota by 8.1 per cent, while the regional seats of Flinders (minus 8 per cent) and Giles (minus 10.1 per cent) were below.